Positronics, how can we forget, the first growshop in Amsterdam, in fact, in Europe, because 'First of the world' might not be correct.

I happen to know that Wernard Bruining, the founder of Positronics bought his first grow lights from the US. I bought my first seeds at Positronics in 1986, Northern Lights, they cost me 150 guilders for 10 seeds. I grew delicious weed out of those seeds, in my Grandma's garden, she even assisted me clipping my harvest.

Before founding Positronics, Wernard opened the first hash coffeeshop in the world, in Amsterdam, in the spring of 1972, named Mellow Yellow, together with some friends, in a squatted ex-bakery shop. They paved the way for the coffeeshopculture that exploded in the Netherlands over the next decades, it turned Amsterdam in the marihuana smokers Walhalla. After Mellow Yellow burnt down in 1978 Wernard decided not to rebuild it, he had enough of it. He went to the United States for a sabbatical. In the US Wernard got to know Old Ed, amongst others, a veteran marihuana grower, specialised in the sinsemilla technique. Wernard was surprised by the quality of the American weed, so he had to find out what growing sinsemilla was all about. It turned out it meant growing weed from clones, cut from carefully selected female cannabis plant, called motherplants. Until then, Wernard only knew the marihuana from Indonesia, Colombia and Mexico, but the buds were always full of seeds, and it did not get him half as high as the US sinsemilla grown California Skunk he smoked with Old Ed and his friends. Wernard and Old Ed decided to go to Holland to introduce the sinsemilla technique to the Dutch grow scene. The rest is history, you can read it in my book.

Together with Kees Hoekert and others, Wernard was part of the Lowlands Seed Company from 1981 until 1985, they started selling Old Ed's seeds in the Netherlands and later to the whole world.

Wernard started Positronics in 1986, a growshop extra-ordinaire, with a restaurant, a clone-library, grow areas, a peaceful garden and all the knowledge you could ask for. The Positronics saga ended abruptly in 1996, when Positronics bancrupcy was declared for grave administrative short comings which Wernard was unaware of. Wernard collapsed, and he turned his back to cannabusiness for a while.

We became good friends with our role model, so once we had a nice place in Spain we invited Wernard to come over and enjoy the climate with us for a while in 2004. In the meanwhile, Maruska and me had met some nice Spanish growers and breeders, one of was Sebastian, a Malaga growshop owner and a fan of Wernard and the Positronics genetics. We introduced Sebas to Wernard, and they started talking about the Positronics seedbank. Maruska and/or me had to interpretate for them, as they do not speak a common language.

We must have done a good job, because after that first encounter Wernard and Sebas agreed on upgrading the 'name only' Positronics to a modern day seedbank, producing and offering feminised seeds, with their joint genetics. The cooperation goes fine, Positronics has won numerous Spanish cannabis competitions and was awarded 'Best Spanish Seedbank during the recent Spannabis Fair in Barcelona.

I offered to become the representative for Positronics seeds in the Netherlands myself, because I know and trust the people behind the seeds. I also see the need for feminised seeds, you know what you can expect from 5 feminised Positronics seeds, namely 5 female plants you can harvest, without having to worry about male intruders. There is no more need to germ and plant the double amount of seeds for your needs, with the posibility that 7 out of 10 seeds turn out to be males. I have seen, smelled, touched, crumbled and smoked dried buds of all Positonics strains myself, the descriptions of their strains are correct and to the point.

We wish you green fingers and a good harvest,

Nol van Schaik.

Positronics Nederland.